Dry tooling? One could only hope other locals are motivated to that level, but highly doubtful. Aid climbing or sport abseiling would be a better guess. The local crags need more climbing activity to keep the cliffs and trails clear. If it gets them out there, I say climb on!

If by some freak chance it was someone with that much interest in dry tooling, get in touch with me. We should climb together!

Hey... Now we can call those routes Figure four crack and The scratch instead of Ten crack and The scoop.

Dry tooling? One could only hope other locals are motivated to that level, but highly doubtful. Aid climbing or sport abseiling would be a better guess. The local crags need more climbing activity to keep the cliffs and trails clear. If it gets them out there, I say climb on!

If by some freak chance it was someone with that much interest in dry tooling, get in touch with me. We should climb together!

Hey... Now we can call those routes Figure four crack and The scratch instead of Ten crack and The scoop.

Tim, I'm only 3 years into ice, but I was always under the impression that it was bad ethics to dry-tool a free route. Does this ethic chance from place to place, like chalk, bolts, and metal pro?

Picked up a BOB (bicycle) trailer. Pretty nice. Great for totin' gear , firewood, rocks, beer... Attaches to the rear axle instead of the seat post, so has a low center of gravity. I loaded the thing up to around 50lbs and did about a 25 mile test ride - didn't even know it was back there. Specs say 70lb (working) load max - I'm bettin' you can take it up to at least 100lb. Load it up with some sandbags and find a long, steep hill for a good workout. From home to the summit of Chestnut Ridge via McCoy Hollow Road and RT 711 works for me (about 1200ft elevation gain in 3 miles). I picked up the IBEX model with the rear suspension. Rides smooth. Haven't had a chance to test it out in the woods, yet....

You are correct. Ethics are the same around here. I just doubt it was dry toolers at High Rocks. I've heard some of the "adventure groups" that visit High Rocks have been testing their skill at "aid climbing". Most likely the culprits of the described damage. There are plentiful choss piles around to satisfy those of us who willingly dull hundreds of dollars of picks a month anxiously awaiting the return of winter. Local dry tool crags are deemed unsafe by rock climbers and have never been climbed otherwise. I'm looking to aim those who share our interest in ascending these worthless cliffs riddled with danger in the right direction so as to NOT damage established rock routes. Hence my invitation. Every craft has its place. Happy climbing to all!

You are correct. Ethics are the same around here. I just doubt it was dry toolers at High Rocks. I've heard some of the "adventure groups" that visit High Rocks have been testing their skill at "aid climbing". Most likely the culprits of the described damage. There are plentiful choss piles around to satisfy those of us who willingly dull hundreds of dollars of picks a month anxiously awaiting the return of winter. Local dry tool crags are deemed unsafe by rock climbers and have never been climbed otherwise. I'm looking to aim those who share our interest in ascending these worthless cliffs riddled with danger in the right direction so as to NOT damage established rock routes. Hence my invitation. Every craft has its place. Happy climbing to all!

Oh ok, cool. Well, next trip out that way I'm bringing my tools and we can dull some picks together!

Are there any decent summer crags out that way? (cool, shaded, breezy)

Just returned from 4 days at the New with Jeremiah. Climbed at Beauty Mountain for the first time. Gnarly! Last day was sport at Summersville, and swam in the lake. A wonderful time!!! Even got in a new lead!! That eight.

My name is Gabriel. I'm from Pittsburgh, pa. Some friends and I are looking to climb Seneca this weekend and we may be looking for another partner... unfortunately, I have yet to venture from sport to trad yet and can not lead trad, so we're looking for someone to climb with us (only one of our four leads trad)... probably easier stuff... 5.7s-5.9s?

Mike Varlotta called me late Tuesday afternoon about going to the New River Gorge climbing for a couple days. I was excited to go, and got the green light. Late notice you say? I once thought I was at the bottom of Mikeís list, and Iíd get a call only if all his real friends werenít able to go!! Actually, he wanted it to be a family trip, but they couldnít make it.

I packed like a madman, forgetting to bring fresh vegetables from my garden. Mike met me at 8:30, and as Mike is the king of alternative music, I heard great tunes all the way down. I took over the wheel the last hour so he could enjoy a beer, and we were setting up our tents at midnight at Brianís Chestnut Campground, the cleanest, most comfortable and most pleasant.

Wednesday we didnít get going until 10 AM, and headed to Bubba City. We followed a new trail and went down Gully #2, which was a trail all the way. We went climbers left, and in a couple minutes, we were at the left end of the Head Wall, and we were gearing up for a heinous chimney:

Verde Suave, 5.7 **. It was almost too wide, and the bolts were way out wide, but Mike showed me about putting a foot behind me and thrusting up, and it became smooth and easy. I learned something, and feel a lot better about chimneys!

Hubba Bubba, 5.9 ****, was fifty feet right around the corner. At 5.9 it was a major sandbag! There was a brutal hand traverse in the middle, and the thinnest moves on the face. T

Sangre Verde, 5.8, starting up a thin crack, a tough traverse under a roof, then a arm wrenching pull over the roof, and a casual finish. It didnít feel like a 5.8 either.

We walked down not far to Headless Wall, which Iíd climbed with Layne Wyse back on November 7, 2009. We did:

Pyro Vixen, 5.10a, **, which was a lot harder than I remember.

Moí Verde, 5.10a *, which was pumpy and a bit tricky.

Gimp Verde, 5.8, which had real buckets to grab, which was pleasant and easy after the endless supply of really hard and draining horror shows!

It was a nine star day, and six stout routes. It was an awesome day. We had an option to return to our car by climbing straight up, and the guidebook said it would be rough and steep. After a few steps up, we found a trail that switch-backed up at the end of the Canyon Rim Trail, and we had an easy and beautiful walk out. I even found a pipeline shortcut to eliminate the three sides of the box they want you to hike on. So it was an awesome day. We got some veggies at the store, and we cooked up a feast and ate it all! I showered off the sweat, the chalk and the blood, and crashed early, hardly reading anything.

Thursday was another beautiful day, and we headed back to Bubba to the Tattoo Wall at Sandstonia. I started doing big yoga stretches at breakfast. We had a relatively easy approach to the north end of Bubba City.

Assman, 5.8, starts on Five Five My Ass 5.6, ** to the third bolt, then goes up and left. It must not be done much, for when I was pulling over the roof, the rock was covered in moss and lichen! However, I found a hold and was able to power to the bolts!

Celtic Sun, 5.9 *, which was another sandbag. The first roof was fiendishly hard and awkward, and it had another tricky spot higher up. Then after some more giant stretches, we did what may be my favorite climb in the gorge,:

Badass Tattoo, 5.10b ***. Steep, buckets, cracks, roofs, even one thin spot. This climb has it all, and I adore it!!! The flow is incredible. Every move sets you up perfectly for the next one.

Hardcore Female Rash, 5.10a *, which sucked so badly. Every hold was a sloper. It was terribly insecure to climb! We walked down to the right a ways, we did:

The Good Book, 5.10a ** f, which I had done a year ago with Layne. I still flailed getting into the open book, but got it. Then we did a tremendous climb:

Shady Lady, 5.7 **, and Iím sorry I didnít lead it. Next time, for sure.

We had another home cooked feast, and planned a big day at Upper Meadow for Friday. Mike played his guitar, and I slept very well, until a predawn thunderstorm just before dawn in the wee hours that persisted, so we took down the tents in the rain and headed home. In Morgantown, we drove over to Snake Hill, and I showed Mike the two crags there.

Even though we didnít get the third day, nothing can take away from the two incredible days we had. Everything was muy tough and extremely challenging. I was rarely in a comfort zone while climbing. Needless to say, my shoulders and arms feel very strong!

My family and I have backpacked the Window Trial in Clear Creek State Forest Kennerdell several times. A desire to safely climb up and down the rocks along this trail is what prompted me to venture into rock climbing. Has anyone climbed along here?

Hello all I'm back. It's been along time since I been on. I joined the Marine Corps and now am home for good. Bad thing is while I was gone my storage unit was broken into and now I need to replace all my TR gear. Hoping to be back out on the rock next summer. I would enjoy meeting up with a few of you this winter that ice climb. I would love to watch and start learning. I want to get into tech ice in a year or 2. If anyone around somerset confluence area would like to meet for a beer and bs call me.

Unfortunately my shoes harness and helmets along with the start of my trad rad for building top rope anchors were all lifted from my storage unit. The worst part about the whole thing I never got to use any of it. Oh well if I ever find the kid oh boy!!! Untill I can replace everything i would just like tomeet up for a beer or 6 and Bs let me know my contact info is in my profile.

That's correct it's my cell I can talk or text anytime right now I'm at work in a trailer on my cell phone so if anyone wants to talk or texts cool. Really cause i am bored out of my mind right now. I'm staring at a natural gas well and lurking the forums lol